Method of forming wrap-around shipper package

ABSTRACT

A method of forming a wrap-around shipper package wherein a package is located in a tray which subsequently acts as a mandrel about which the blank is wrapped. The trays in which the package is located are moved in a predetermined path through a loading station, a wrapping station and a tray withdrawal station. In the loading station, the packages are deposited in the trays. In the wrapping station, a blank is positioned in the path of the moving trays and is thereafter formed about the tray as it moves in said path and it is subsequently sealed to the configuration of a sleeve. The tray is inverted in the course of the wrapping and sealing operation so that the contents of the tray are deposited onto a wall of the carton and thereafter the tray is withdrawn. The carton is then closed and discharged from the apparatus.

United States Patent [191 Langen Apr. 8, 1975 [76] Inventor: Marinus J.M. Langen, 21 Chilcot Ave.. Rexdale, Ontario. Canada 221 Filed: July5,1973

211 Appl. No.: 376,556

[52] U.S. Cl. 53/32; 53/195; 53/233 [51] Int. Cl. B65b 11/48 [58] Fieldof Search 53/32, 195, 209, 228, 229.

Primary E.\'aminerTravis S. McGehee Assistant E.t'uminer.lohn SiposAttorney, Agent. or FirmFetherstonhaugh & Co.

[57] ABSTRACT A method of forming a wrap-around shipper package whereina package is located in a tray which subsequently acts as a mandrelabout which the blank is wrapped. The trays in which the package islocated are moved in a predetermined path through a loading station, awrapping station and a tray withdrawal station. in the loading station,the packages are deposited in the trays. In the wrapping station, ablank is positioned in the path of the moving trays and is thereafterformed about the tray as it moves in said path and it is subsequentlysealed to the configuration of a sleeve. The tray is inverted in thecourse of the wrapping and sealing operation so that the contents of thetray are deposited onto a wall of the carton and thereafter the tray iswithdrawn. The carton is then closed and discharged from the apparatus.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures METHOD OF FORMING WRAP-AROUND SI-IIPPERPACKAGE FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to the loading ofcartons. In particular, this invention relates to a method and apparatusfor forming a loaded shipper package from a wrap-around carton blank.

PRIOR ART Because of the difficulties which have been experienced inattempting to end load shipper packages, it has previously been proposedto form a shipper package by forming a wrap-around blank about anarticle which is to be shipped therein. Attempts have been made topackage bottles and cans in wrap-around packages wherein the load to beshipped forms the mandrel about which the wrap-around package is formed.One of the advantages of the wrap-around package is that it eliminatesthe need to open the knocked down carton to receive its load and toalign the load with the open end of the carton so that it may be pushedinto the carton.

The practice of forming a wrap-around carton about a pay-load accordingto the known methods is not practical where the load is not sufficientlyrigid to form a mandrel about which the package may be formed. Forexample, there are a very large number of cartons distributed' todaywherein the contents of the carton are contained within a sealed pouchwhich is located in the carton. The sealed pouch is required because thecartons in themselves are rarely air-tight and once opened cannot beresealed to an air-tight form. Many products would deteriorate rapidlyif not stored within a package such as a wax paper or plastic pouch.Breakfast cereals are examples of products which are packaged in a pouchwhich is then located within a semi-rigid carton. Because of theflexible nature of the pouch and, in some cases, the delicate nature ofthe product which is located within the pouch, it is not possible toutilize the pouch as a mandrel about which a wrap-around carton may beformed. For this reason, the practice in the formation of this type ofcarton is to pre-form the carton to a sleeve-like configuration, openthe carton from its knocked down configuration in a loading machine, andthereafter end load the pouch into the carton and seal the ends of thecarton. Difficulty is encountered in the end loading operation where theproducts are ofa delicate nature because of difficulties experienced inattempting to push the flexible carton into the relatively rigidconfines of the sleeve-shaped carton.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention overcomes the difficulties ofthe prior art discussed above and provides a method and apparatus forforming a loaded shipper package which consists of an article to beshipped and a container formed from a wrap-around carton blank.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of forminga loaded wrap-around shipper package which consists of an article to beshipped and a container formed from a wrap-around blank comprises thesteps of depositing the article to be shipped on a receiver member whichis movable in a predetermined path of travel, locating an openwraparound carton blank in the path of travel of the receiver member,moving the loaded receiver member into engagement with a carton blankand wrapping the carton blank around the receiver member with thearticle therein to form a sleeve which is open at at least one end, andwithdrawing the receiver from the sleeveshaped container through theopen end and thereafter closing said container.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the receiver memberis inverted after the wrap-around carton is formed so as to dischargethe article onto a wall of the container to facilitate removal of there- PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will be more clearly understoodafter reference to the following detailed specification read inconjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a pictorial illustration of the method and apparatus for usein forming a loaded shipper package from a wrap-around carton blank; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the path of travel of the articlereceiving trays and the loaded shipper packages.

With reference to the drawings, it will be seen that a plurality ofU-shaped trays 10 are moved in a continuous path 12 in which areprovided a loading station 14, a wrapping station 16, and a traywithdrawal station 18. Each of the trays 10 consists of a base wall 20and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls 22 which form a U-shapedtray which is open at both ends. The trays are mounted on support arms24 which are mounted for movement on a continuous conveyor 26. A camtrack 28 having the required contour of the path of travel 12 of thecontainers serves to control the movement of the containers within thepath 12.

As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the apparatus also includes aloading device for loading pouches 30 or the like into the trays 10. Theloading device which is located in a loading station consists ofaconveyor 32, a loading drum 34 and a gate 36. The drum 34 is preferablypcrforated at predetermined sections of its length and a vacuum is drawnin the interior of the drum so that the pouches 30 may be secured to thedrum for rotation with the drum past the gate 36 when the gate 36 isopened and thereafter released from thedrum by releaving the vacuum sothat the pouch 30 falls into the tray 10. The operation of the gate 36and drum 34 is synchronized with the position of the tray in which thepouch is to be loaded so that the apparatus may run continuously. Thegate 36 consists of a pair of flaps 38 pivotally mounted for rotationabout an axle 40 so that as soon as one gate 38 opens the other gate 38moves to a position preventing the passage of the next following pouchonto the drum until the spacing of the pouch with respect to thedrum issynchronized with respect to the position of the next tray 10.

A. plurality of knocked down wrap-around carton blanks 42 are located ina carton storage station 44. A dispenser is provided for dispensing asingle carton blank 42 from the storage station 44 into a positiondisposed between the trays in the path of travel 12 of the trays 10. Thedispenser may beof a conventional type including suction cup means 46for separating the leading blank from the stack of blanks and a pair oftransverse feed roller means 48 disposed one on either side of the blankfor positioning the blank 42 between the on-coming trays.

The wrap-around paperboard blank consists of top and bottom panels 50,side wall panel 52, side wall flaps 54 and 56, end wall flaps 58 and 60,and end wall tabs 62 and 64.

Guide rails 66are disposed in the path of travel of the carton duringthe wrap-around forming and the flaps 54 are folded inwardly by means ofa pair of finger members 68 mounted for rotation on shaft 70. It will benoted that while only one pair of guide rails is shown for simplicity inillustration, there are preferably two pairs arranged parallel to oneanother and disposed adjacent each end of the carton blank. The flap 56is folded upwardly by means of a similar folding mechanism (not shown)and an adhesive, preferably in the form of a hot melt, is appliedsimultaneously to the outer surface of the flaps 54 of two adjacentcartons as they move continuously in the path of travel 12. The bead 74of the adhesive is applied by means of a pair of dispenser heads 72. Thedispenser heads 72 are carried by a frame generally identified by thereference numeral 76. The frame consists of a pair of stationary guiderails 78 which extend parallel to the path of travel of the containersduring the application of the adhesive and a second pair of guide rails80 which extend obliquely transverse of the path of travel of thecontaincrs during the application of adhesive. A slide member 82 onwhich dispenser heads 72 are supported is slidably mounted on the guiderails 80 and mounted with respect to the longitudinally extending rails78 to permit movement of the slide 82 in the direction of the arrow A.This transverse oblique movement is timed so that the dispenser heads 72traverse the full width of the flap 54 during travel of the carriage 82along the rails 80. The end flaps of the cartons are closed by means ofa kicker plate 88 which is mounted for rotation so as to close theleading and trailing tabs prior to application of adhesive by means ofan adhesive applicator head 90. The top flap 60 and lower flap 58 arethereafter closed by means of a conventional plough bar (not shown).

In use. a package is fed into each of the trays 10 as the trays movecontinuously in the direction of the path 12. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the packages are loaded when the trays arein a position which is out of longitudinal alignment with the wrappingstation and consequently the trays are moved in the direction of thearrow B while simultaneously moving in the direction of the arrow C soas to be aligned with the open blank 42. In use, the blanks 42 aredispensed into a position between adjacent loaded trays. In the eventthat a tray which is not loaded passes the loading station, there may bemeans provided for detecting the presence of an empty tray entering thewrapping station. The means may take the form of a weight detectingdevice, a light scanner or the like and will require the detection of anarticle within the tray prior to the dispensing of a carton blank into aposition immediately in front of the tray to be wrapped. The advancingtray forces the carton blank into engagement with the plough rails 66and these rails in turn form the carton to the shape of the tray. Itwill be noted that the proportions of the tray are such that it acts asa mandrel about which the carton may be formed. After the carton iswrapped and with the wall of the carton closing the open upper end ofthe tray, the direction of travel of the trays is reversed and the traysare inverted. This transfers the load or pouch 30 from a positionwherein it is supported by the tray to a position wherein it issupported by the top wall 50. The side walls of the carton are thensealed to form an open ended sleeve by the application of an adhesive tothe side wall flaps 54 and 56 as previously described. After the cartonis formed to a sleeve configuration, the cartons continue to move in thedirection of the arrow C under the influence of the tray and asupporting underlying conveyor 69 or the like, and the tray 10 iswithdrawn in the direction of the arrow D, leaving the carton and thecontents in position. In view of the fact that the pouch 30 is no longersupported by the tray 10, it is possible to withdraw the tray whileleaving the pouch 30 within the carton. If necessary. an additionalrestraining finger mechanism (not shown) may be provided to ensure thatthe tray 10 may be removed from the carton without causing movement ofthe carton and its contents relative to the supporting conveyor. Afterthe tray 10 has been fully withdrawn, its direction of travel is againreversed so that the tray is located in the open position underlying theloading mechanism to repeat the cycle described above. The containerwith its contents continues to the closing station wherein the end flapsand end tabs of the loaded cartons are folded over and sealed and thecartons are then discharged for shipping.

Various modifications of the present invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.For example, it is possible to withdraw the tray 10 from the sleeveformed carton without the necessity of inverting the tray prior to itswithdrawal. A method wherein the tray is withdrawn from the sleeveformed carton without first being inverted would continue to have theadvantage that the tray would act as a forming mandrel for thewrap-around carton which would protect a flexible pouch and its contentsduring the wrapping operation.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides a simple and effective method and apparatus for loadingdelicate packages into cartons without requiring separate carton openingand loading operations.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A method of forming a wrap-around shipper package which consists ofan article to be shipped and a container formed from a wrap-around blankcomprising the steps of:

a. depositing the article to be shipped on a receiver member movable ina predetermined continuous path of travel;

b. locating an open wrap-around carton blank in a position extendingacross the path of travel of said receiver member;

c. moving the loaded receiver member continuously along said path intoengagement with the blank which is disposed across the path of travel ofthe receiver member and through said position thereby to bend the cartonblank around the receiver member, and sealing the blank along transverseedges behind the moving receiver member to form a sleeve which is openat at least one transverse end while continuously moving the memberalong said path;

d. withdrawing said receiver member gradually from said sleeve throughsaid open end while moving the receiver member along said path, and

e. closing said blank while still moving along said path to form acarton.

2. A method of forming a shipper package as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe loaded receiver member, with a wall of the wrapped blank retainingthe load therein, is inverted prior to withdrawal of said receivermember from said shipper package whereby the article to be shipped iscarried by the carton prior to withdrawal of the receiver member.

3. A method of forming a loaded wrap-around shipper package as claimedin claim 1 wherein the receiver member has peripheral side edgesconforming to the interior configuration of the carton when in thesleeve configuration whereby the receiver member forms a mandrel aboutwhich the blank is formed in use.

4. A method of forming a loaded wrap-around shipper package whichconsists of an article to be shipped and a container formed from awrap-around blank comprising the steps of:

a. depositing the article to be shipped on a U-shaped tray having a basewall and a pair of upstanding side walls, said tray being open at atleast one end;

b. moving said tray in a continuous predetermined path of travel, saidpath having a carton forming extent wherein the tray is movable in adirection normal to the plane of the side walls thereof and the pathhaving a withdrawal extent wherein the tray is movable in a directionparallel to the plane of the side walls thereof;

c. locating an open wraparound carton blank in a position extendingacross the path of travel of said U-shaped tray in said first extent;

d. moving the loaded U-shaped tray continuously along said path intoengagement with the carton blank located across the path of travelthereof and through said position thereby to bend the carton blankaround the side and bottom walls of the U- shaped tray and the articlecontained therein, and sealing the blank along transverse edges behindthe moving tray to form a sleeve which is open at at least onetransverse end thereof while continuously moving the tray along saidpath;

e. withdrawing said U-shaped tray from said open end while continuouslymoving the tray along said path in said second extent; and

f. closing said carton while still moving along said path.

5. A method of forming a shipper package as claimed in claim 4 whereinthe loaded tray, with a wall of the wrapped blank retaining the loadtherein, is inverted prior to withdrawal of said tray from said shipperpackage whereby the article to be shipped is carried by the carton priorto withdrawal of the tray.

1. A method of forming a wrap-around shipper package which consists ofan article to be shipped and a container formed from a wrap-around blankcomprising the steps of: a. depositing the article to be shipped on areceiver member movable in a predetermined continuous path of travel; b.locating an open wrap-around carton blank in a position extending acrossthe path of travel of said receiver member; c. moving the loadedreceiver member continuously along said path into engagement with theblank which is disposed across the path of travel of the receiver memberand through said position thereby to bend the carton blank around thereceiver member, and sealing the blank along transverse edges behind themoving receiver member to form a sleeve which is open at at least onetransverse end while continuously moving the member along said path; d.withdrawing said receiver member gradually from said sleeve through saidopen end while moving the receiver member along said path, and e.closing said blank while still moving along said path to form a carton.2. A method of forming a shipper package as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe loaded receiver member, with a wall of the wrapped blank retainingthe load therein, is inverted prior to withdrawal of said receivermember from said shipper package whereby the article to be shipped iscarried by the carton prior to withdrawal of the receiver member.
 3. Amethod of forming a loaded wrap-around shipper package as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the receiver member has peripheral side edges conformingto the interior configuration of the carton when in the sleeveconfiguration whereby the receiver member forms a mandrel about whichthe blank is formed in use.
 4. A method of forming a loaded wrap-aroundshipper package which consists of an article to be shipped and acontainer formed from a wrap-around blank comprising the steps of: a.depositing the article to be shipped on a U-shaped tray having a basewall and a pair of upstanding side walls, said tray being open at atleast one end; b. moving said tray in a continuous predetermined path oftravel, said path having a carton forming extent wherein the tray ismovable in a direction normal to the plane of the side walls thereof andthe path having a withdrawal extent wherein the tray is movable in adirection parallel to the plane of the side walls thereof; c. locatingan open wrap-around carton blank in a position extending across the pathof travel of said U-shaped tray in said first extent; d. moving theloaded U-shaped tray continuously along said path into engagement withthe carton blank located across the path of travel thereof and throughsaid position thereby to bend the carton blank around the side andbottom walls of the U-shaped tray and the article contained therein, andsealing the blank along transverse edges behind the moving tray to forma sleeve which is open at at least one transverse end thereof whilecontinuously moving the tray along said path; e. withdrawing saidU-shaped tray from said open end while continuously moving the trayalong said path in said second extent; and f. closing said carton whilestill moving along said path.
 5. A method of forming a shipper packageas claimed in claim 4 wherein the loaded tray, with a wall of thewrapped blank retaining the load therein, is inverted prior towithdrawal of said tray from said shipper package whereby the article tobe shipped is carried by the carton prior to withdrawal of the tray.